Our picks
Why we selected these suppliers
Kind by
Greatest no-contract ISP (if you will get it)
Greatest no-contract cable web
500 – 1,000 Mbps; 2Gbps out there in choose markets
Greatest various for rural areas
Greatest for buyer satisfaction
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Offers are chosen by the CNET Group commerce staff, and could also be unrelated to this text.
Searching for the right internet provider means a whole lot of time and analysis. US adults are paying $195 more for their internet than final 12 months, in accordance with a CNET survey. As such, you wish to make sure that you have picked the perfect internet provider and are getting the perfect to your cash. To save lots of you the time, we have discovered ISPs with aggressive pricing, quick speeds and no contract necessities. Discover your finest match with our high picks for no-contract web service suppliers.
What’s the perfect no-contract web supplier general?
CNET’s high decide for the perfect general no-contract web is GFiber. With high-speed web (two plans of 1,000 and three,000 megabits per second out there in all serviceable areas and even sooner speeds in choose areas), no equipment fees or data caps, it beats all different ISPs on this class. There’s so much to love about GFiber. There’s just one downside — it has restricted availability nationwide. For those who’re not in one of many 19 states the place it operates, don’t fret: You possibly can nonetheless get fast web speeds for a aggressive value with AT&T Fiber or any of the opposite suppliers we talk about beneath.
Remember: Not signing a contract would not all the time imply you are getting the perfect value. Many suppliers will put a premium on their pay-as-you-go plans, whereas their contract charges are cheaper. To assist maintain your prices in perspective, we have famous the cost per Mbps for every no-contract web supplier. It is a superb approach to examine apples to apples when pitting web plan speeds and costs in opposition to one another.
Greatest no-contract web service suppliers
1,000 – 8,000 Mbps
$70 – $150 per thirty days
Our take – At first look, GFiber plans appear costly, however they boast a superb value per Mbps. There are 5 choices: The most cost effective begins at $70 per thirty days, and the most costly tops out at $150 month-to-month. You possibly can count on speeds from 1 gigabit (1,000Mbps) to eight gigabits (8,000Mbps), with the associated fee per Mbps at an affordable 7 cents and a pair of cents, respectively. Supported by a fiber-optic connection, you possibly can count on absolutely symmetrical speeds and a dependable connection. You are getting a quick connection to your cash general. On high of that, your tools is included in your month-to-month value and there is no extra value for set up, which is a good deal.
1,000 – 8,000 Mbps
$70 – $150 per thirty days
300 – 1,500 Mbps
$30 – $70 per thirty days
Our take – In the case of low cost promo pricing, Astound comes out on high. It has fairly a value vary out there throughout its numerous markets, however an aggressively aggressive common value of 5 cents per Mbps to start out. You will discover a 300Mbps plan for $30 month-to-month all through most of Astound’s footprint. That tough-to-beat value falls nearer to the pack after your intro interval, however you may be hard-pressed to discover a higher value to your preliminary service interval. Comparatively, different cable ISPs like Spectrum provide service beginning at $50 per thirty days. Moreover the worth, your service comes with no knowledge caps or contracts.
300 – 1,500 Mbps
$30 – $70 per thirty days
10 – 140 Mbps
$55 per thirty days
Our take – There isn’t any want to fret about cancellation charges on any CenturyLink plan: None of them include any contractual commitments. The worth is fairly sturdy, too, for the reason that firm’s DSL plans provide a hard and fast worth fee of $55 a month, which is tough to beat amongst DSL choices. Nevertheless, the speeds you get can differ relying in your tackle. Your modem/router rental prices $17 additional per thirty days, however CenturyLink lets you skip it and use your individual tools.
10 – 140 Mbps
$55 per thirty days
500 – 1,000; 2gbps out there in choose markets Mbps
$50 – $80 per thirty days
Our take – Simple service phrases, stable velocity choices and limitless knowledge are all issues that make Spectrum stand out from the remainder of the cable ISPs. There are solely two plans — 500Mbps and 1 Gig — freed from contracts and knowledge caps. The common value per Mbps within the first 12 months for the 500Mbps plan is 10 cents, and it is 7 cents for the 1,000Mbps tier, which is sort of good for cable web. Remember that Spectrum and plenty of cable ISPs are infamous for growing their costs. Nevertheless, the second-year leap is not too steep (for an ISP, anyway), as much as 16 cents and 10 cents per Mbps for the 500Mbps and 1,000Mbps plans, respectively.
500 – 1,000; 2gbps out there in choose markets Mbps
$50 – $80 per thirty days
100 – 1,000 Mbps
$40 – $70 per thirty days
Our take – For those who reside in a rural space, it is simple to get tied down by a two-year contract from a satellite tv for pc ISP (we’re taking a look at you, Hughesnet). However you possibly can ditch the contracts altogether, due to Kinetic by Windstream. You will get both DSL (a majority of its footprint) or fiber service (at present about one-fifth of its community) for a median value of 12 cents per Mbps throughout the promo interval. Whereas most plans provide a value lock of 1 to a few years, be careful for a value leap within the gig plan, which can leap by $30 after three months.
100 – 1,000 Mbps
$40 – $70 per thirty days
300 – 5,000 Mbps
$55 – $250 per thirty days
Our take – Obtainable to roughly a 3rd of its footprint, AT&T Fiber plans present glorious worth. 5 totally different plan choices (300, 500 and 1,000Mbps, in addition to 2 and 5 gigabits) vary in value from $55 to $245 per thirty days, with no knowledge caps or contracts. Altogether, AT&T’s fiber plans common simply over 10 cents per Mbps, which is stable. Much more spectacular are the multi-gigabit plans, which common out to below 7 cents per Mbps.
300 – 5,000 Mbps
$55 – $250 per thirty days
300 – 2,000 Mbps
$50 – $120 per thirty days
Our take – Verizon Fios, the corporate’s fiber web possibility, would not require contracts and its pricing is fairly clear-cut. It provides 4 totally different plans: 300, 500, 1 gig and a pair of gigs, with a median value of about 11 cents per Mbps. Moreover, it scores excessive in buyer satisfaction in each ISP survey. It nabbed the highest spot for 2023 and 2024 within the J.D. Energy survey for the East area. It additionally did properly within the annual American Buyer Satisfaction Index report, scoring 76 out of 100 factors, above the business common.
300 – 2,000 Mbps
$50 – $120 per thirty days
Further no-contract web suppliers to contemplate
- Cox Communications: There’s flexibility right here, nevertheless it comes at a price. Cox would not require you to signal a contract to obtain web service, nevertheless it does encourage clients to signal a two-year agreement. Cox additionally provides low-cost internet options, which characteristic no contracts and no credit score checks or deposits. The ConnectAssist plan is priced at $30 a month for 100Mbps in obtain speeds and comes with a free modem. For that streamlined method, you may pay 30 cents per Mbps, which is greater than the common of all different plans Cox provides.
- Frontier Communications: You will not have to fret about binding contracts for both Frontier Web (DSL) or Frontier Fiber. Tools charges are additionally included within the month-to-month value. For first-year pricing, Frontier Fiber clients will see a median value of 6 cents per Mbps, whereas DSL clients can count on to pay $2.60 per Mbps.
- Mediacom: Xtream web choices don’t require you to signal a long-term contract. Throughout all three plans, you possibly can count on to pay a median of 10 cents per Mbps throughout the first to 2 years of service; after that, the common value per Mbps jumps to 17 cents.
- Optimum: No Optimum plans have knowledge caps or contracts and so they provide a few of the finest promo pricing for cable web. Your first-year pricing for fiber plans could have a median value per Mbps of slightly below 7 cents. The common value per Mbps for cable plans is round 10 cents.
- Rise Broadband: This fastened wi-fi web supplier provides obtain speeds from 50Mbps to 1,000Mbps. All plans include no knowledge caps. Rise’s introductory costs differ by location, however the common value per Mbps within the first 12 months might be between 75 cents and $1. Rise Broadband additionally has a small fiber community, so in case you’re eligible for that, the common value per Mbps will probably be round 11 cents.
- Sparklight: Sparklight provides aggressive introductory plans in choose rural areas throughout the nation. Though Sparklight’s pricing modifications relying in the marketplace, within the Alabama market, you possibly can count on to pay a median of 15 cents per Mbps throughout all plans. As soon as the promo interval ends, that common value per Mbps jumps as much as 18 cents, which is not a very costly enhance in costs for a rural supplier. Word that Sparklight enforces a gentle cap of 5TB, so there’s the potential for extra charges in case you exceed your month-to-month limits.
- Starlink: Elon Musk’s budding web service is exclusive amongst satellite internet providers as a result of it would not require a contract. Additionally, the common value per Mbps of its commonplace plan (150Mbps) is simply over $1, which is superb for that connection sort. The precedence plan, which provides max speeds of 220Mbps, drops the common value per Mbps to six cents. That is fairly spectacular for an web expertise recognized to fall on the pricier facet. Starlink nonetheless requires a little bit of a dedication: You have to make a one-time tools buy of $349 to $699 (or a large $1,499 in case you’re buying the precedence plans). That is an enormous chunk of change, which most cable and fiber web clients get to keep away from. Nonetheless, this might be a digital lifeline for rural regions of the country that don’t have access to those connections.
- Starry Internet: This fastened wi-fi supplier makes use of millimeter-wave expertise to supply an answer just like 5G home internet. It provides no contracts, and the worth contains tools, set up prices and limitless knowledge. The common value per Mbps for Starry Web is 17 cents within the first 12 months earlier than it jumps as much as 22 cents.
- T-Mobile 5G Home Internet: Much like Starry, T-Cellular 5G Dwelling Web contains every thing you want in your month-to-month value, with no contracts required. All tools, set up charges and taxes are included at $50 to $70 a month (or $35 to $55 per thirty days for eligible cellular clients). The associated fee per Mbps is troublesome to pin down since speeds differ by tackle. T-Cellular says that the majority clients could have a median obtain velocity between 87 to 415Mbps. When CNET tested T-Mobile 5G Home Internet, we hit a most of 132Mbps, and we have additionally acquired anecdotal proof of shoppers hitting speeds of as much as 300Mbps in some areas. In the meantime, per T-Cellular, it is doable some may probably max out at 72Mbps. In different phrases, your speeds might differ and can rely on whether or not you are close to a mobile tower. CNET’s Amanda Kooser described having inconsistent speeds with T-Mobile.
- Verizon 5G Home Internet: Verizon 5G Dwelling Web (its 5G fastened wi-fi web service) can be squishy as a result of its obtain speeds, starting from 50 to 1,000Mbps, aren’t assured. Assuming the common of 300Mbps, the common value per Mbps could be 17 cents. Verizon 5G Dwelling Web is an all-in value that features taxes, charges and tools.
- WOW: WideOpenWest, which prefers to go by WOW, goals to wow its clients by requiring no contracts and really aggressive beginning charges. This cable web supplier provides 5 totally different plan choices, with a extremely aggressive common value of simply over 6 cents per Mbps throughout all plans.
- Xfinity: Xfinity would not require clients to signal a contract to get its lowest value on web service. Nevertheless, these low costs are solely assured for a 12 months. That stated, in case you select their five-year value assure, you continue to have the choice to cancel with out penalty. Xfinity additionally provides a prepaid internet option that requires no contract and offers you 30 days of web service for $45 a month. No deposit is required, and there aren’t any extra charges or knowledge caps. The utmost obtain velocity supplied is 200Mbps, which means this service has a median value of twenty-two cents per Mbps.
- Ziply Fiber: This firm started providing service in 2020 after buying Frontier Communications networks in 4 Northwest states. It goals to simplify the buying course of by skipping credit score checks, knowledge caps and time period agreements. It provides DSL and fiber plans, with the common value per Mbps at 13 cents for the promo interval for the fiber plans and 21 cents after the primary 12 months.
No-contract web suppliers in contrast
Please notice that the plans beneath present every supplier’s least expensive out there tier. The utmost velocity is the highest marketed velocity for these plans, nevertheless it may not be out there in your space. General, the perfect choice for you — and essentially the most cost-effective plan — is likely to be a unique tier that gives a sooner velocity at the next value however a greater worth. To extra absolutely perceive this value-based method, take a look at CNET’s information to examining the cost per Mbps.
| Plan | Beginning value | Max obtain velocity | Price per Mbps | Tools payment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Altafiber Fioptics 400 | $40 | 400Mbps | 10 cents | None |
| Astound Broadband 300 Read full review |
$30 | 300Mbps | 10 cents | None |
| AT&T Fiber 300 Read full review |
$55 | 300Mbps | 18 cents | None |
| AT&T Web Air Read full review |
$60 | 300Mbps | 20 cents | None |
| Brightspeed Fiber 200 | $30 | 200Mbps | 15 cents | None |
| CenturyLink Merely Limitless Read full review |
$55 | 100Mbps | 55 cents | $17 (optionally available) |
| Frontier Fiber 500 Read full review |
$30 | 500Mbps | 6 cents | None |
| GFiber 1 Gig | $70 | 1,000Mbps | 7 cents | None |
| Kinetic Fiber 300 | $40 | 300Mbps | 13 cents | $11 (optionally available) |
| Mediacom Xtream 300 Web Read full review |
$50 | 300Mbps | 17 cents | $14 (optionally available) |
| Optimum 200 Read full review |
$25 | 200Mbps | 12 cents | None |
| Level Broadband Efficiency Plus | $59 | 300Mbps | 19 cents | $14 (optionally available, free in choose places) |
| Quantum Fiber 200 | $50 | 200Mbps | 25 cents | None |
| Rise Broadband 50 Read full review |
$45 | 50Mbps | 90 cents | $10 modem (free in choose areas), $5-15 router (optionally available) |
| Sparklight Join 100 Read full review |
$35 | 100Mbps | 35 cents | $14 modem (optionally available) |
| Spectrum Web Read full review |
$50 | 500Mbps | 10 cents | Modem free, $10 router (optionally available) |
| Starlink Normal Read full review |
$120 | 150Mbps | 80 cents | $349 one-time buy |
| Starry Web 100 Read full review |
$30 | 100Mbps | 30 cents | None |
| T-Cellular 5G Dwelling Web Limitless Read full review |
$50 | 415Mbps | 12 cents | None |
| Verizon 5G Dwelling Web Read full review |
$50 | 300Mbps | 16 cents | None |
| Verizon Fios 300 Read full review |
$50 | 300Mbps | 16 cents | None |
| WOW Web 300 Read full review |
$30 | 300Mbps | 10 cents | None |
| Xfinity 300Mbps Read full review |
$40 | 300Mbps | 13 cents | None |
| Ziply Fiber 100/100 | $20 | 100Mbps | 20 cents | $15 (optionally available) |
Present extra (20 objects)
Supply: CNET evaluation of supplier knowledge.
Components to contemplate when selecting a no-contract ISP
The associated fee per Mbps
A very powerful think about evaluating any ISP plan is the cost per megabit per second. A price per Mbps between 10 and 20 cents is fairly good, however essentially the most cost-efficient plans value round 5 cents per Mbps or decrease. It is incredible to keep away from signing a contract (and escape the looming menace of early termination charges plus the liberty of switching providers at any time), however it is best to nonetheless do your homework.
Web connection sort
As well as, look into the type of internet connection supplied by the ISP. Some households — particularly these in underserved or rural areas — might not have many choices. However the common rule is that 5G and satellite home internet are higher than DSL, cable internet is healthier than satellite tv for pc and 5G web, however fiber internet trumps all of them. As you’ll have already observed, the associated fee per Mbps of fiber web plans is usually fairly low as a result of fiber speeds outpace the speeds supplied by different web connection sorts.
How we evaluated the perfect no-contract suppliers
Web service suppliers are quite a few and regional. In contrast to the most recent smartphone, laptop, router or kitchen tool, it’s impractical to personally take a look at each ISP in a given metropolis. What’s our method? We begin by researching the pricing, availability and velocity info, drawing on our personal historic ISP knowledge, the supplier websites and mapping info from the Federal Communications Fee at FCC.gov.
It doesn’t finish there: We go to the FCC’s web site to examine our knowledge and guarantee we think about each ISP that gives service in an space. We additionally enter native addresses on supplier web sites to seek out particular choices for residents. We take a look at sources, together with the American Buyer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Energy, to judge how glad clients are with an ISP’s service. ISP plans and costs are topic to frequent modifications; all info supplied is correct as of publication.
As soon as now we have this localized info, we ask three primary questions:
- Does the supplier provide entry to fairly quick web speeds?
- Do clients get first rate worth for what they’re paying?
- Are clients pleased with their service?
The reply to these questions is commonly layered and complicated, however the suppliers who come closest to “sure” on all three are those we suggest. To discover our course of in additional depth, go to our how we test ISPs web page.
What is the backside line on no-contract ISPs?
Generally, it appears like you need to signal away your firstborn little one — or at the least the subsequent two years of your life — to get the perfect internet service in your area. It is simple to be swayed by slimmed-down introductory costs, however hefty invoice will increase and unrelenting additional charges could also be lurking behind that first-year cheer.
Fortunately, that is altering. Competitors is brewing amongst web service suppliers as we develop into extra depending on broadband connections. That is one cause why many ISPs have begun dropping their contract necessities. Plus, chances are you’ll even discover internet deals providing to purchase you out of your contract to get you to change. That is excellent news for anybody seeking to successfully discover their residence web choices.
“No-contract web” — typically referred to as month-to-month web service — refers to broadband service that does not require you to signal a long-term settlement along with your web service supplier. For instance, with some ISPs, you need to decide to a two-year contract to get broadband protection. That is not no-contract web. True no-contract web means it is best to be capable of cancel service at any time with out penalty (however the return of any leased tools).
We get this query very often, as many assume they have to pay for Wi-Fi individually from their web service. That is not the case, usually. You usually get Wi-Fi while you enroll with an web supplier, as many will give you a gateway. That is a mixture of a modem (which connects your private home to the web) and a router (which takes that web sign from the modem and broadcasts it wirelessly to the opposite gadgets in your house). Even when your ISP solely supplies the modem, you possibly can hire a router or use your individual. If you will get an web connection at your tackle with out signing a contract, it is best to have the choice to have Wi-Fi at your private home with out committing to a contract.
It could sound like a cop-out, however the perfect no-contract web supplier for you is the one which’s serviceable at your tackle. As we have talked about many instances in our ISP evaluations, all issues being equal, if you will get fiber internet at your location, that is the best way to go. It’s going to provide the finest efficiency of all of the web connection sorts — you may get symmetrical obtain and add speeds — and can usually be essentially the most reasonably priced by way of value per megabit per second. GFiber, which incorporates all tools prices and charges in your month-to-month fee, is the most affordable, averaging just a bit over 4 cents per Mbps. Its availability pales in comparison with the fiber plans of AT&T, for instance. For those who reside in one of many metro markets the place it provides service, GFiber is a straightforward selection, however AT&T Fiber is likely to be everybody else’s high possibility.
